Firefighting runs in Jared Lamb’s family; it is in his blood. Jared, 19, has been an official volunteer firefighter for three years, but he has been around volunteer fire departments for most of his life. Jared’s father was a volunteer firefighter with the Jane Lew Volunteer Fire Department in Jane Lew, WV. Jared officially began volunteering there when he was 16, but according to him, the fire department had been a part of his life for a long time before he became an official volunteer. “I grew up around it. It’s all I ever really knew,” he says.

            For the past six months, Jared has been volunteering with the Star City Volunteer Fire Department right outside of Morgantown, WV. He made the switch after moving to Morgantown to attend West Virginia University (WVU). Jared is currently a freshman who recently became a nursing major, after switching from an engineering major. According to Jared, his switch to nursing is another example of him following in his family’s footsteps. His older sister is a nurse, and his mother does medical coding.

A rotating crew of volunteers staffs the Star City Volunteer Fire Department. There are usually between three and ten fire fighters at the station at any given time. According to Jared, the majority of volunteers are WVU students who range from freshman to seniors. Having a lot of students at the fire department makes it the long hours spent volunteering easier for everyone. “We do all of our homework here. We do it all here; we all help each other out,” Jared says.

Helping each other out also extends to the fire stations chores. Everyone assists in station chores and maintenance, which includes cleaning equipment, cleaning the station, and most importantly taking care of the station dog, Pierce.

Chores do come second to the department’s main task of answering and responding to 911 calls. The station has responded to over 1,100 calls so far this year. The firefighters assist with technical rescues, car wrecks, missing persons, and of course structure fires. As a volunteer firefighter, Jared responds to all of these emergencies.

According to Jared, a sense of teamwork and pride are among the most important things he has gained from his volunteer experience. He considers a fire department to be the best place to be. The station has its own bunkroom, allowing volunteers to stay at the station. Jared is there five to six days a week, and he stays most of the day.

His eventual goal is to join a career fire department. Jared intends to graduate with at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing, which will make him more desirable to a fire department, as well as more useful. He sees firefighting as something that will always be a part of his life. He will continue to work as a firefighter “until I’m not able anymore” he says.